Dissertation Research: Spatial Archaeology of MSA/LSA Cultures in the Eyasi Basin, Tanzania

在史蒂文·勃兰特博士的指导下，佛罗里达大学的研究生奥达克斯·马布拉先生将为他的博士论文收集数据。他的考古研究重点是位于坦桑尼亚北部的埃亚西湖盆地。马布拉和他的合作者将对这片2500平方公里的区域进行一次地表勘测。在目前存在的四个主要生态区中，他将采用分层随机抽样技术。选定的地区将通过航拍照片和地形图进行定位。其中的所有考古遗迹都将被记录和描述。将进行补充的螺旋和铲子测试，以定位被掩埋的遗骸，并检测土壤改造的模式。如果时间允许，将对中石器时代-石器晚期(MSA-LSA)考古遗址进行测试挖掘，以恢复可测年的材料和生存数据。有了这些信息，马布拉先生将尝试重建这两个时期的生存和土地利用战略。虽然考古、遗传学和古生物学数据有力地表明，“现代”人类最先出现在非洲，但人们对这一过程的时间和细节知之甚少。考古学家对这些文化如何适应地形或他们遵循的生存方式的了解有限。这些群体的社会组织也没有得到很好的理解。在这一地区的岩石庇护所之前的工作已经揭示了石器时代的人的存在，他们可能是这个第一个“现代”群体的成员。石器时代晚期的后继者们也出现了完全不同的石器技术。虽然岩石庇护所可以提供关于适应非常有限的地区的有用信息，但它们不能用来理解更广泛的区域战略。Mumulla先生收集的信息，因为它覆盖的区域更大，可以填补这一空白。通过人种学比较和LSA分析，可以建立一种“现代”模式，并将较早的MSA模式与之进行比较。这项研究之所以重要，有几个原因。它将阐明导致现代人出现的过程。它将提供许多考古学家感兴趣的数据，并帮助培训一位非常有前途的年轻科学家。

Under the direction of Dr. Steven Brandt, Mr Audax Mabulla, a graduate student at the Univeristy of Florida, will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. His archaeological research is focussed on the Lake Eyasi Basin located in northern Tanzania. Mr. Mabulla and his collaborators will conduct a surface survey of this 2,500 square km region. Within each of the four major ecological zones which are present he will employ a stratified random sampling technique. Selected areas will be located with aerial photographs and topographic maps. All archaeological remains within them will be noted and described. Supplemental auger and shovel testing will be conducted to locate buried remains and to detect patterns of soil modification. If time allows two or three Middle Stone Age -Late Stone Age (MSA-LSA) archaeological occurrences will be test excavated to recover datable material, and subsistence data. With this information Mr. Mabulla will attempt to reconstruct subsistence and land use strategies during these two periods of time. While archaeological, genetic and paleontological data strongly suggest that "modern" humans first appear in Africa, the timing and details of this process are little understood. Archaeologists have only limited knowledge of how these cultures adapted to the landscape or the subsistence practices they followed. The social organization of these groups are also not well understood. Prior work at rock shelters in this area have revealed the presence of Middle Stone Age peoples who may be members of this first "modern" group. Succeeding Late Stone Age peoples with a quite different lithic technology are also present. While rock shelters can provide useful information about adaptation to a very limited area, they cannot be used to understand broader regional strategies. The information collected by Mr. Mabulla, because it covers a larger area can fill this gap. Through use of both ethnographic comparison and LSA analysis, a "modern" pattern can be established and the earlier MSA one compared to it. This research is important for several reasons. It will shed light on the processes which lead to the emergence of modern humans. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists and assist in the training of an extremely promising young scientist.